Harry Potter and Fate
by OloEopia-Merlin
Summary: About four years after the final battle. Hermione is diagnosed with some rare form of amnesia after escaping her kidnappers. Ron plays for the Chuddley Cannon as a keeper. Hermione works in the ministry. Ron and Hermione are engaged or are they? Harry jus
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter and all the Harry Potter characters do not belong to me, they belong to J.K. Rowling.

**Summary:** About four years after the final battle. Hermione is diagnosed with some rare form of amnesia after escaping her kidnappers. Ron plays for the Chuddley Cannon as a keeper. Hermione works in the ministry. Ron and Hermione are engaged or are they? Harry just completed auror training.

**Prologue**

She had to keep running. It was dark and she didn't know what she was. She felt weak. She was afraid. If only she had her wand with her. She looked back to make sure no one was following her. She knew that they'd be looking for her. But if she kept running, she was sure she would find someone who could help her.

The trees were thick and tall. It surrounded her like a thousand sentinels. She heard one of her captors bellow after her. She remembered two or three voices while she zoned in and out of consciousness in the little room they put her in. When she fully regained her consciousness, her strength seemed to have been drained from her like a balloon without air. But her mind, her mind was still strong. So she plotted and planned her escape.

She kept her mind alert. She figured they must have been putting some kind of potion in the food or drink they'd been giving her. So ate very little or none at all. She tried to determine which parts of the food or drink were tainted by smelling them. She guessed her captors weren't smart enough to figure out that in order for the potion, whatever it was that they decided to use, to take its full effect it needed to be fully mixed in with the food or even cooked using the potion. Thank Merlin for small favors.

Her clothes were filthy. Her bushy brown hair looked more like dread locks now. She could only imagined what she looked like, but at that point the only objective was trying to get out. She had to go back to Ron, her fiancé. She had to try and fix the issues with him.

When she saw the opportunity, she put her plan into action. She was almost sure she'd killed one of them, or at least hurt him badly. She was pretty sure that two were male. The one right behind her was definitely male. The foul words he used were vile. She felt lucky that the forest created a plenty of hiding places for her. Then like magic the forest disappeared. She saw pavement.

She saw two headlights heading straight towards her. She waved her arms up and down to get the driver's attention. It could be one of my captors, she thought. Then thought again how it could be if her captors were wizards who have probably never driven a car in their lives. She sighed in relief. She started to run towards the car. She had to put some distance between her and her captor. They sounded close. She could hear two voices yelling out her name. How did they know her name? She looked back to try and gauge how far away they were. That was when she saw a bright stream of violet light heading towards her. She stumbled and fell forward. She looked up one last time to see the headlights slowly stopping in front of her. The lights blurred, and then the blackness enveloped her.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

He couldn't believe he'd finally completed the training. The last three years of his life have been gruesome. He had to get up at the crack of dawn each and every day. He didn't sleep until way after midnight or later at times. There were times when they weren't even allowed to sleep for a few days. But nothing was as bad as the torture he had experience at the hands of Voldemort. Then again, he was younger at that time.

He was barely seventeen when he had to confront the vilest wizard of the century. He no longer had his mother's love as protection. That was erased when Voldemort used his blood to rise again from his limbo state of being. The battle was probably one of the many most difficult times of his life. One, when he was orphaned at the age of one. Two, when he lost his godfather. Three, when he lost his mentor, Dumbledore. The battle killed many people he cared about, and others he did not know. It hurt him deeply when he could not save his friend's brother, Grawp or Charlie. Or the thousands of people he'd gone to school with and families that were destroyed because of the battle. The only thing that kept him sane was his best friends.

If he thought about it any deeper, he knew that the training would have gone a lot better if he had his friends nearby. Letters were aplenty, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't like he didn't make friends at the training camp, but he knew that there were limitations to his friendships after the battle. Sometimes he wasn't sure whether or not people genuinely wanted to be friends with him or if it was the relationship with the boy who lived, the chosen one, or the savior they were after. So he was wary of people except for those who already knew him and accepted him as plain Harry. They don't stare at the lightning bolt scar that somehow still lingered on his forehead. They don't ask him stupid questions like "were you scared when you confronted the Dark Lord?"

His decision to become an Auror was a surprise to some, but not to those close to him. The people who were surprised didn't understand his passion for helping others and for keeping people safe, especially keeping families together. He wanted to help others create a better future for their families. Perhaps even help create a better future for his friends and his family, the Weasleys and Hermione. And maybe even a better future for the family he would create in the future, he hoped anyway.

He was surprised by Hedwig's sudden appearance. He thought he'd sent him to the Burrow to let them know when he'd be arriving. He didn't expect a response. But he guessed he was going to get one anyway.

"Hey, girl. I didn't expect to see you back." He lifted his arm up so that Hedwig can perch on it. He took the letter and recognized Ron's handwriting instantly.

_Dear Harry,_

_Meet me at the Grangers. Hermione was kidnapped a few days ago. She managed to escape her captors, but she's not doing too well. I think it would be best if you were here. She's been asking about you._

_Your Brother,_

_Ron_

His heart dropped to his stomach. The thought of Hermione in danger gave him the shivers. The anger came next. Why the bloody hell didn't they let him know when she first went missing, he thought. He felt his blood boil and about ready to erupt like a volcano. His heart beat faster and faster. He needed to get to an apparition zone quick. He started walking fast. Then faster. He broke out in a run after a few paces. Was he overreacting? If anyone in his family were hurt he would react the same way, wouldn't he? He was so sure he would. He'd lost too many people in his life to take any threat to those close to him lightly.

As soon as the thought left him he popped into an apparition safe zone near the Granger resident. When he appeared, again he broke out in a run. By the time he arrived at the Grangers, his clothes were soaked with sweat and his heart was beating fast. He couldn't distinguish whether or not it was beating fast because he was still not over the fright, or if it was from the sprint.

He took a few moments to catch his breath. He looked around the neighborhood. It looked just as he remembered. Peaceful and well maintained. The gardens looked immaculate. There were hardly any nosy neighbors like his Aunt Petunia. He remembered how she and her neighbors would peek outside their windows when they noticed something peculiar around their neighborhood. He was trained to spot the idiosyncrasies around him during training. As he took in his surroundings, he scanned the area thoroughly for anything that might have looked out of place. When he was satisfied of the safety, he rang the doorbell.

"Harry!" came the most cheerful female voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't leave the camp until your training was complete?" For some reason she knew it was going to be Harry at the door. She'd leapt up as if she'd just sat on hot coal when the door bell rang.

Harry didn't know what to say. Before he could answer her about his training, he saw Ron shaking his head walking towards him. He also saw Mr. and Mrs. Granger shaking their heads. He didn't know what they were shaking their heads for, but if he had it right it could be because of Hermione's question.

"Is that anyway to greet your friend after you haven't seen them in a long time?"

Harry stared at Hermione for a moment. Her face had a few scratches and a few bruises. Her brown bushy hair was pulled back in a pony tail. She wore a V-neck t-shirt where the V part seemed so low to make Harry uncomfortable. But overall, she looked healthy as a horse.

She wondered what he was doing at her parents' doorstep looking so bloody sexy. Was it a crime to think your best friend was sexy while your fiancé was in the room, she wondered. No matter, as long as he was there and he was safe. She hadn't seen him since he'd left for training. He hadn't been allowed holidays during the rigorous training she was sure he'd undergone. She wondered why he was allowed one now. She also wondered why her heart skipped a beat when she saw him standing in front of her. She didn't care at the moment. She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek and gathered him into her arms. It felt so good to hold him, she thought.

He accepted the kiss and the embrace. Merlin, he didn't know how much he'd miss her until that moment. Was it wrong to miss your best friend so much, he wondered. There couldn't be a crime for missing a friend. He also missed Ron, didn't he? But if he was honest with himself, he'd answer that he didn't miss Ron the same way he'd missed Hermione.

Before he could ponder, Ron came up and gave him a hug and a thump on his back. "It's good to see you mate," Ron whispered.

"You too, mate."

He greeted Mr. and Mrs. Granger with hugs as well. Luckily he'd cleaned himself up while he was scanning the place. He wasn't sweaty anymore, but his jet black unruly hair still stoop up on end.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger excused themselves so that they could prepare supper. They'd asked Hermione to help them much to Hermione's dismay. She followed them because she knew that the guys needed their moment. She would get to her time later.

"So, what's going on? She looks fine except for the minor scrapes and bruises."

"You would think wouldn't you? But you haven't talked to her long. I just wanted to talk to you before you spend any more time with her." He looked at him. His emerald eyes looked so serious. He knew he probably gave him a scare with his cryptic note, but he couldn't help it. He needed his help with Hermione. He knew that he was the only one who could help her.

"Well, what is it?"

"She has some sort of Amnesia."

"She remembered me fine. Although, she did think I should still be training. What is that all about?"

"That's the whole thing isn't it? She doesn't have full amnesia where she can't remember anything. She has a rare type of amnesia where she remembers everything to a point in the past. In her case it's like she remembers everything up to about a year ago."

"Is that a bad thing then? We can fill in the blanks for her, can't we?"

"We can't. The healers at St. Mungos said that we can't tell her anything that happened in the past otherwise we may risk putting memories in her mind that do not really exist or that happened other than what she experienced."

"Okay, so we have to lie to her?"

"Not really. We just can't tell her anything about past events. If she doesn't remember it, don't bring it up."

"So, you're her fiancé aren't you? You'd have to know more about her from the past year than me, right?

"That's the thing, Harry. I thought she'd tell you since she wrote to you more than me. I guess she didn't."

"Tell me what exactly, mate?" Harry looked at Ron suspiciously. He knew Hermione wrote him everything that happened in her life. Sometimes she put too much information that just made him put her letters down for a while before he could go back and re-read them.

He knew it was foolish to be upset when he read about how happy she was with Ron, but he felt it. He was supposed to be supportive of her and Ron. He was supposed to be happy that they were happy. But if truth be told, there were times when he wasn't happy for them. He couldn't pin point what it was exactly that made him feel that way. He just chalked it up to fatigue and being alone during the training while the other parts of the trio were together. He got over it. He told himself that many times.

"Harry, I thought for sure Hermione would have told you. We broke our engagement months ago."

A/N: I thank you for your reviews. It means a lot to me to know that you are reading my writing. It means a lot more to know that you are enjoying it. Stay tuned for more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

He stared at Ron like he was mental. How could Ron let such a wonderful person such as Hermione get away, he thought. If it were him, he would never have let her go. The thought shocked him to the core.

"What?" Harry had to sit down. The news turned his bones into jelly. If he remained standing any longer he'd fall flat on his face.

"Yeah, I guess she didn't feel like writing that little bit of news."

All those months Harry thought they were happy. He'd been trying to complete his training early so that he'd be home in time for their wedding. He kept asking Hermione when the big day was, but she'd been vague. The answer was always, "soon."

"No. I reckon she didn't feel like sharing that bit of news with me. Why didn't you?"

"I'd been busy touring with the Cannons and I reckon it would have been the first thing she wrote to you. I don't know Harry. You're like a brother to me. I know you and Hermione are close too, sometimes I think closer than me and her even when were together." Harry was about to say something, but Ron put his hand up to stop him. He wanted to get the words out before he lost the nerve. "I guess I thought if I told you, you'd think it was my fault and you'd be angry at me. I mean, it's not that I was unfaithful or anything…." he immediately added. He saw the smoldering blaze in Harry's green eyes. "Hermione and I, well, we just didn't work. We fought practically all the time. You know that. Some people thought that because we did it was because we were compatible you know… in the more intimate settings."

He really felt uncomfortable discussing his love life with Harry. Normally, it wouldn't be so difficult, but when it was about someone they both cared about, it was a bit much for him. He was sweating bullets trying to explain it to Harry.

Harry immediately banked the anger he felt initially. Ron was right. He had thought for a second that the break up was because of Ron. He would never have thought it was because of Hermione. No, Hermione was practically perfect. She was a bit bossy and sometimes is a know-it-all, but she had redeeming qualities. Her better qualities far outweigh her more irritating ones.

"Everyone was so wrong. We just fight well with each other is all. Our relationship was doomed from the beginning. I don't know if maybe the fact that we had to face danger together had anything to do with it, but whatever it was that brought us together in the first place wasn't strong enough to keep us together. I think we were trying to do what everyone expected us to do, nothing more, and nothing less. I love Hermione, don't get me wrong. But I think we misinterpreted the type of love we felt for each other as something more than what it was. We were comfortable with each other, but it's not the kind of love that is shared between lovers. It was merely love that is shared between close friends, brother and sister more like."

Harry sat down on the couch. He felt lighter somehow, but he didn't know why the news of Hermione's and Ron's breakup would make him feel that way. He must be going crazy. Either that or he was a real sick person. What was he supposed to say?

"Sorry mate. I didn't know. She never told me."

"It's all right. Not everyone found out for a while. You know how Hermione was so afraid of failure in school? Well, I think that fear translated into every facet of her life. She didn't like to fail at anything and I believe she thought of our relationship as a failure for her."

"She does know that it takes two to make a relationship, doesn't she? I mean if the relationship went bad, it wasn't her fault alone, right?"

"You know Hermione. She doesn't like to be bad at anything. Except maybe listening to reason?"

"Don't worry about that right now. What are we supposed to be doing to get her memory back?"

"The healers thought that bringing her home to a more familiar surrounding might help jog her memory. If she doesn't remember anything by tomorrow morning, then we'll have to tell her about her memory loss, but still not try to fill in the gaps for her. We're just supposed to tell her facts, not tell her about how she acted or how she felt only how we felt or acted. We can only hope that bringing her to familiar places will trigger her memory."

"So that's the plan? We wait. So, should I even be here then? Since I've been gone for a while, I can't help her much with anything, can I?"

"See, that's the whole point. Since you've been removed from her life for so long, you'll be more objective. You won't really know anything that happened a year ago. Only what she wrote you, but now you know she didn't write you about everything." He smiled despite the seriousness. "She'd been working on some secret project for the ministry, so anything about her work will remain a mystery to all of us. Well, except maybe her assistant. You'll never guess who her assistant is."

"Mandy Brocklehurst."

"Bloody hell! She probably told you more about what was going on in her life than me, even when we were going out."

"You know, I do listen a lot better than you." Ron playfully punched Harry in the arm.

"Yeah, you may be right. But the reason you're here is to make sure she's all right. She thinks I'm still her fiancé, but I'm seeing someone else. I know I didn't tell you, but I've been so busy. And besides, I have to leave on tour soon."

Harry was getting a bit angry. How could Ron be so uncaring? He just wanted to get on with his life. Didn't he care about Hermione's life? Tomorrow, if Hermione doesn't remember anything, she will be so upset. He knew exactly how she would react. She'd blame herself, of course. Even though there was no way she would do such a thing to herself, she'd blame herself anyway. She'd feel like a failure. She'd probably be silent for a little while to reflect on what was happening to her. Then she'd start hitting the books.

"I understand Ron. You have a life to attend to. Right now, my life is really on hold. I told the ministry I wanted to take a few weeks off to be with family and friends. I was hoping to spend some time with you as well, but we could catch up some other time."

"Harry. I wouldn't leave Hermione with anyone else. I was prepared to cancel the tour until we got your letter. I couldn't leave knowing that I'd be leaving Hermione in limbo."

No matter how far apart they were, Harry seemed to be in tune with Hermione. They knew each other so well. Sometimes it was scary when they finished each other's sentences. That was years ago before he even left for auror training. He felt as if they were still close, maybe even closer than before he left if that was possible. Her letters were one of the things that kept him sane and grounded. He couldn't do much during training, but receiving letters were a luxury in the confines of the training camp.

But he knew Ron well as well. He knew that sometimes he had trouble expressing himself and didn't deal well with crisis. He barely escaped the wrath of Voldemort in one piece, mentally not physically. But he also knew that Ron would not have left Hermione alone like he said. The anger diminished a bit. Ron would always be Ron. But in a way, he also knew that Ron had grown up as well. If he was willing to put his tour on hold, a quidditch tour at that, showed a lot of growth on Ron's part.

"It's okay Ron. I'll be here. Don't feel guilty or anything. I'm sure we're supposed to try to make it as normal as possible for her. Besides, you know she wouldn't want special attention, especially when there was something wrong with her personally."

"You know, Harry. I think that if there were any two that do belong together, it's probably you and Hermione."

"You know Ron. You're mental. You know we don't feel anymore than friendship for each other." But Harry felt like a liar and was a bit defensive. Why would such a statement make him feel that way?

"Hey, are you boys ready to eat?" Hermione asked cheerfully. She stood at the entrance way between the dining room and the parlor. Harry was again taken aback at his reaction towards his friend. He knew he'd been out of loop when it came to the dating world, but he didn't think the sight of his best friend would make him react the way he was doing at that moment.

Harry smiled at her. She almost sighed aloud. Then she remembered Ron was in the room and coughed to hide the sigh. She must be mental to feel so drawn towards Harry while her fiancé was in the room. All she wanted to do was run her fingers through his hair and kiss him like crazy. Yup, no doubt about it, she was definitely mental.

Ron didn't miss the look the two gave each other. He knew what he told Harry was right. They do belong together even if they didn't know it. He'd love to see the day when Harry would eat his words.

Just like old times, she looped her arms through Ron and Harry and walked them to the room.

A/N: Thank you for all your positive reviews. Here's another chapter for you. Kind of short, but here's hoping you like it anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

Hermione was extra cheerful the following day. She felt as if she were ready to conquer anything. Her best friend was finally home. Her fiancé was great. Nothing in the world would stand in way of her happiness. She could get married now that Harry was home. That was the agreement she'd made with Ron. She didn't want to get married until Harry got back home. Now why does she feel as if she were trapped? It didn't help that she also had the weirdest dream last night. She woke up drenched in perspiration. She only remembered bits and pieces. But what she remembered frightened her to her core.

She remembered the dark room and the whispering voices. They were talking in low hushed tones that she could not hear enough to comprehend, but their tones were revealing. They were arguing. They argued about her. The other voice seemed familiar somehow, but she couldn't place it. Then she was running through the woods. The people were after her. She was hit with some kind of hex, but after that it was blank. She woke up. She wasn't sure if she screamed in her sleep, but her throat felt raw. Good thing she put a silencing charm around her room before she went to bed. Subconsciously she must have known something was going to happen during her sleep.

Thank goodness it was only a dream, she thought. She hurried in the shower and dressed for breakfast. She looked forward to seeing her best friend and her fiancé. She was glad they decided to stay over last night. The reminiscing over the good ol' days brought back happy memories. And sad ones too, but she didn't want to dwell on those. Somehow she felt like a changed woman when she woke up. She couldn't explain the dream, but it was only a dream after all.

"Good morning," she said. It almost sounded like a sing song voice. Her parents, Ron and Harry looked at her questioningly. They'd all been discussing her mental state while she was upstairs. When she saw their collective eyebrows crunched together in a worried look, she became concerned.

"Good morning, honey," Mrs. Granger was first to greet her. "Sleep well?"

"Better than usual," she lied. "What's going on here?" She saw the hesitation in the people in front of her. She knew that out of all of them, Harry would be the one who would be truthful. She knew her parents would be too overprotective of her. She knew Ron would not like to see her upset. That left Harry. In her heart she knew that Harry had always told her the truth. So she looked straight at him and waited for an answer.

"Er… do you remember anything that happened last night?"

"Of course," she answered with a snort. She prided herself with great memory. All of them should know that. "Why? Did I miss something?"

"More like a lot of something. Do you remember anything beyond last night?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I remember just owling you the other day and Ron and I were planning on a holiday together." As she looked at each of their faces, she knew. She must have lost her mind. She thought she almost saw pity in Ron's eyes. She saw sadness in her parents', but in Harry he saw concern and something she hadn't noticed before. "That's not what happened, is it? Don't bother lying. I can already tell by the look on your faces that something is very wrong." she asked.

"Well, not exactly," Ron said. "Those things did happen, but Hermione, those things happened almost a year ago."

"What?" She staggered back, but Harry was instantly next to her for support.

"I'd just arrived yesterday, but it wasn't because Mad Eye gave me a break Hermione. It was because I'd finished my training and the ministry gave me a few weeks to spend with family and friends before my duties start." He looked around the room to see if her parents or Ron were going to explain. Since no one else seemed to be talking Harry continued to explain.

"Hermione, you'd been abducted about a few days ago. People had been looking for you, but no luck. Then the other night, an old muggle couple found you running on a country road where you passed out when they stopped the car to try and help you out. The old man thought he'd hit you, but when he looked at how far you were from their car, he knew he didn't. But they brought you to a muggle hospital. Luckily your picture had been posted in the telly and someone recognized you and called your parents. When your parents arrived, they moved you to St. Mungo's to have you checked by a healer. The ministry had to do a few memory charm at the hospital, but you were safe. The healer couldn't do much until you regained your consciousness. But you did, you acted fine except for the fact that you'd gone back in time in your mind."

"But, Oh… Merlin! "She remembered the dream, or what she thought was a dream. "That means I wasn't dreaming last night, then?"

"I don't know Hermione. None of us haven't a clue what you went through during the last few days you went missing. I tried performing the legilimens last night during dinner, but if you don't remember what happened, then it will be difficult for me to try to extract anything from your mind."

For some reason the thought of having Harry perform legilimens on her frightened her. It shouldn't, she thought. She'd told Harry a lot of things. Come to think of it, she was almost sure Harry knew more about her than Ron. So why would she be worried about a little legilimens.

Harry saw the brief panic in her eyes when he'd told her about the legilimens. But it disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. He wondered what that was all about. It confused him as well since they'd always had a very open friendship. Hermione had always been and probably always will be his rock. She'd always been there for him when he needed her and even when he thought he didn't need her. She'd stuck with him through thick and thin even when she didn't agree with him. He wouldn't abandon her now, especially in her time of need.

"So, what am I supposed to do?" Hermione said. She'd directed her eyes elsewhere just in case Harry tried legilimens again.

"Well, the healers told us to bring you back to St. Mungos for another check up if you don't get your memory back," Mrs. Granger said. She put her hand on Hermione's and squeezed to let her know that she was there for her.

They all decided to head out to St. Mungo's after breakfast. There were times when breakfast became uncomfortable, but only when they talked about the recent past. When they spoke of the things further in the past that Hermione remembered, the conversation became light hearted and smooth. Less tense and more laughter.

They'd decided to drive hoping that seeing the familiar surroundings would jog Hermione's memories a bit. The plan didn't work very well. She remembered nothing. Neither the familiar sceneries nor the familiar music they played as they drove triggered anything in Hermione's mind.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger were disappointed and worried. It didn't really matter that she didn't remember anything from the past year, but they knew their daughter. They knew that it would affect her well being not knowing what she'd gone through the past year. They also knew that she would work herself hard in order to remember and to find out why she was abducted in the first place. They just hoped that Harry and Ron would be able to help her out because when it came to the world of Magic, they were at a lost. They knew that whatever the reason for Hermione's condition, it was tied to the magical world she lived in.

Hermione they knew worked on very special projects for the minister of magic himself, but they just didn't know the nature of those projects. She had "classified" clearance so to speak and possibly no one but her assistant and those connected with the minister knew what she worked on. They could only hope that there was an explanation and that it would be solved soon.

Their hope turned bleak after the healer examined Hermione once again. "I don't understand what caused her partial amnesia at this point. It seemed as if there is a combination of some kind between her mind and the jinx she sustained. I tried curing the jinx which is why she only has partial amnesia, but something in her mind is blocking out the rest of the cure so to speak," said the healer.

"What should we do?" asked Mr. Granger.

"The only thing you can do is try to let her do normal things. Get her back into her routine. The daily routine may help ease her mind up and remember the rest."

"Would that be the routine in the current time that she's in now or her present current routine?" Ron asked. He knew he was being a bit selfish at that point, but he didn't want to have to pretend to be engaged with Hermione. His girlfriend, Luna, might understand, but he would feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, well I think she should continue on her current daily routine or as close to it as possible. No one else should know that she's missing a chunk of her memory otherwise the people would treat her differently and that would slow down the healing process at this point."

"So, how do we do that? Someone will have to be with her day and night, right?" asked Mrs. Granger.

"Yes," the healer said. They all looked at each other as if to search out a volunteer.

"Harry, I think you're the only person who would be able to do the job at this point," Mrs. Granger said.

"But, I don't really know what her normal routine is. I've been away for too long." He didn't know why he was so frightened of being with her. He just knew that it would not be a good idea if Hermione and he were left alone for too long.

"Mrs. Granger is right Harry," Ron said and earned a glare. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger wouldn't be able to move around as they pleased in the wizarding world. I could do it, but then I don't have certain skills that you have. I would be lost trying to figure out what Hermione should be doing."

Harry knew Ron was right, but bloody hell, the first thought that popped into his head when he saw her again the night before couldn't be erased. He looked at her in a different light. If he was going to be honest with himself, he had to admit that he was attracted to her. He also knew that he blocked it off out of respect for Ron and Hermione. But since he found out that Ron and Hermione were no longer engaged, he couldn't seem to stop thinking about other possibilities. Not while Hermione needed him as a friend, he told himself.

"What do you say, Harry?" asked Mr. Granger. He was hoping he'd agree. No offense to Ron, but he thought Harry was more capable of protecting his little girl than Ron was. It wasn't that he didn't like Ron. But he still felt a little animosity over their break up. He was Hermione's father after all and he did break his little girl's heart. He had some right to feel a little bitter about that didn't he? Besides, Harry trained to fight against the dark arts and he did beat the most vicious dark Wizard of the century, he could handle his Hermione.

Harry didn't want to disappoint the Grangers, but most of all he didn't want to let Hermione down. He knew that her ears were probably burning in the other room. The healer wanted to run a few more tests, but really just wanted to speak to them without her. She explained that she would talk with Hermione once they understood the challenges that they had to face as a part of her family.

"All right, I'll do it. I'll have to let Mad-eye know so that he won't give me any assignments any time soon." He didn't want to tell them that he was supposed to have two weeks of relaxation, but he didn't want them to feel guilty or anything.

The healer hesitated. "Can this Mad-eye be trusted to keep the secret?"

"Yes, he's the head of the Auror division and a good friend of ours."

"Okay."

"What about my family? Will they have to be kept in the dark about Hermione's situation? She's very close with them."

"I'm sorry Mr. Weasley, but the less people know, the better it is for Hermione and for them."

"I understand."

"Well, if you don't have any questions for me, I'm going to go have a talk with Hermione."

When the healer left the room, Harry felt inclined to ask the Grangers, "Will we be staying with you until this is solved?"

"Oh, no Harry, you know how independent Hermione is. We won't be able to convince her to stay at the house while this is being resolved. As soon as the healer tells her to stick to her routine, she'll want to go back to her flat in London. But you will bring her for frequent visits won't you? And please let us know if there is anything we can do to help."

"Well, I guess if the healer said, stick to the routine, then we'll stick to the routine. Ron, I'll need to know what's been happening as far as the family is concerned so that I know how to keep Hermione out of trouble there."

"Well, I'll try mate. But you know they have this girl's night out every other Friday and they never tell me what goes on during those times. Sort of like that saying, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I saw that a lot on the telly while I was at Hermione's. Well, they must keep a pact like that because not even my dad knows what goes on during those girls's night out."

"I think I can help you out a bit on that part. I did go on some of those "adventures" so to speak," Mrs. Granger said.

When Hermione walked in, they all turned to face her. They all smiled at her as if they had a secret she didn't know about. She narrowed her eyes at them. "Healer Sarah just told me what we need to do? So, who's the lucky person playing my shadow?"

All eyes turned on Harry. Hermione couldn't understand it, but her heart leapt in her chest. She felt relieved that it was going to be Harry and not Ron by her side. Why would she feel that? Ron was her fiancé after all right? She knew in her logical mind that her parents wouldn't be able maneuver freely within the wizarding world. That left either Ron or Harry.

She looked at Harry and smiled. It was almost an apologetic smile. The excitement turned to guilt when she looked at him. She'd be tying down that handsome man for Merlin knows how long. She knew that until her problem is resolved, Harry's life would revolve around hers. Why did she feel thrilled of that fact? The brief appearance of guilt quickly dissipated.

He walked towards her, placed his hand on her shoulder. The electricity was ignored by the both of them, even though both felt it at the moment of contact.

"There are some things you need to know, but I think it would be better if we all have the talk at Grimauld Place."

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I hope you like this chapter. Thank you for your kind reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

Hermione tried to relax inside the tub, but every time she closed her eyes, visions of her best friend surrounded her. They weren't just ordinary visions. She envisioned him in his birthday suit, not that she knew what he looked like underneath his robes, but she had seen his bare chest many times, hadn't she? Why did it make a difference now? She must have lost more than her memory at this point. She definitely lost her mind if she keeps thinking along those lines.

Instead of being relaxed with a hot bath, she became more agitated at herself for her line of thought. Besides she's delusional if she thought Harry felt anything more than friendship for her. He could have anyone in the world at his beck and call. Why would he settle for plain Hermione Granger.

Her memory might have faded a bit, but Hermione remembered well what Harry's types were – beautiful, long dark straight hair, smart and well endowed apparently – which in her estimation she only fulfilled one of the requirements. She was only fooling herself if she thought otherwise.

Her argument with herself came to an abrupt stop when a soft knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"All right there, Hermione?" came the voice that had been affecting her in the most peculiar way. It had to be her mind playing tricks on her.

"I'm all right, Harry. I'm nearly done."

"Take your time. I was just going to make some tea, would you care for any?"

"That would be great, Harry. Thank you."

As Harry walked to the kitchen, his mind wandered to the person who seemed to currently take up a lot of his thoughts. What could it mean? He knew it was nothing physical because he'd had many offers on his way home, but he'd declined them all. Maybe he was losing his mind after all. There were many times when he thought he'd lost it during the training, especially when the dreams came.

He'd dreamed the battle over and over and each time one of his friends died instead of Voldermort. He'd wake up soaked in perspiration, and would thank Merlin everything hadn't turned out the way his dreams did.

When Hermione appeared at the kitchen entrance a few minutes later, the blood drained Harry's head straight into parts that he'd rather not have react at that point in time. Hermione's fresh scrubbed face surrounded with wisps of damp tendrils framing it just about did him in. She looked so beautiful, helpless yet strong all at once. He knew he'd definitely lost his mind. She was her best friend for Merlin's sake.

He merely froze almost sure he had a stupid look in his face. He was lucky he didn't drop the mugs when she walked in. The Auror training came in handy at that time. Thank Merlin for small favors.

Hermione saw the incredulous look on Harry's face and wanted to laugh. But since he kept staring she started to get self-conscious. Was it something on her face? Did she forget to wipe the toothpaste from her mouth?

"Er.. Harry? Is there something on my face?"

"Er.. no. Sorry. You just caught me by surprise. I didn't think you'd be down so soon."

"Oh, come on. The world's greatest auror getting startled by Hermione Granger, that's rich."

Harry felt his face burn with embarrassment. The red must equal the color in the Gryffindor common room couches.

"I'm only teasing, Harry. Sorry, I startled you."

"No, no. I know you're teasing. I … well never mind. Would you like me to pour you a cup?" She nodded. Harry was thankful for being a wizard. There was no way he could have moved at the state he was in. He levitated the cup straight where Hermione decided to sit near the counter. He needed to get control of himself before he moved closer to her. Merlin! It's going to be a long couple of weeks. Or more!

"Harry, what is it?" She saw how uncomfortable he looked. She knew that everyone was being unfair to him. He did just get back from training and was shoved straight to work. If the shoe were on the other side, she was sure she would be irritated. However happy and safe she felt that Harry was with her, she didn't want to burden him unnecessarily. He looked so cute when he was uncomfortable. Where did that come from?

"What do you mean?"

"You look a little out of sorts. Are you sure you're okay with the arrangements?" He smiled. If you only knew he thought.

"I'm fine. You're my best friend. There isn't anywhere I'd rather be."

"Thanks, Harry." She smiled brilliantly. He was sunk. He needed a cold shower.

"You're welcome. I think I'll just go take a shower." He walked as quickly as he could. Thank Merlin for Robes. He was relieved he thought of putting them on after he'd arranged the room.

It was Hermione's turn to imagine. It wasn't long until her body heated. She bit her bottom lip and tried to analyze what was going on with her. She was acting like a hormonal teenager. She chuckled because she actually never did feel as a normal teenager, so feeling like a hormonal teenager was some what new to her. Even Ron never quite made her feel so feverish. She'd definitely lost her marbles. Maybe it was time she lost her virginity as well. Wouldn't that shock Harry to no ends. She was a 22 year old virgin.

She'd never really thought about it before. She'd figured Ron would be her first after they were married. She'd been too busy at work. She wondered now whether it was intentional on her part. There were times and she and Ron almost consummated their relationship, but she remembered clearly that it was always her who stopped them from getting any further. Now all she can think of is the deed, with her best friend no less.

She wondered as she put the cups away if maybe Harry had always been the reason that she and Ron were never intimate. Her sudden realization excited her and disturbed her at the same time. How could she have agreed to marry Ron if all this time she'd been attracted to Harry? What a crazy feeling. What a crazy notion all together. The Harry Potter taking notice of little Hermione Granger would probably happen when hell freezes over.

She was deep in thought as she walked back to her room. She was about to open her door when the door to the bathroom opened. Harry stood before her with only a towel.

"Er.. sorry. I forgot my pajamas."

Hermione stood rooted to the floor with her hand on her bedroom door. She took her time perusing his body at leisure. Her body heated to a degree that would probably be off the thermometer. A slow ache in the pit of her stomach began to form. Her thoughts became incoherent.

"Don't look at me like that Hermione." Harry told her. She hadn't realized he'd moved closer to her. He was so close she could feel the heat from his body.

Harry's cold shower didn't help one bit especially when he saw the desire in Hermione's eyes. He was surprised at first, but the wanting instantly took over when he noticed the way Hermione looked at him.

"What?" she asked dumbly.

"You know what."

"Harry…" She moved closer to him as if an invisible magnet pulled her to him. They were face to face despite the difference in height. Harry leaned down so that they were eye to eye.

"Hermione.." That was the last word before his mouth took hers.

The instant fire between them would have melted an iceberg. The more Harry tasted the more he wanted. He just couldn't seem to stop himself any longer. The feelings he'd been holding in for Merlin knows how long poured out into the kiss.

Hermione's mind went blank. She'd never felt the desire and passion the way she felt at that moment. Not even with Ron. She and Ron never went far. She knew something kept stopping her. She knew this was what had stopped her many times. This was what she'd been waiting for.

Harry opened her door and carried her inside without breaking the kiss. He laid her down on her bed and proceeded to kiss her, everywhere.

"Harry…" she sighed.

He was like a man possessed. He knew he should slow down, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"Harry, I've done this before." Harry stopped. It was as if the iceberg just melted all over him.

"What? Haven't you and Ron." She shook her head. The desire in her eyes had not yet died.

"Merlin." He tried to get up, but she pulled him down. She was the aggressor. She needed to release all the feelings that had been building up in her system since they started their dance.

Harry pulled up again. "Hermione, are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Harry."

"But."

"Sshh." She pulled him down again for another brain numbing kiss. That was the last each muttered a word.

Hands explored. Mouths explored. Each experiencing something beautiful and exciting for the first time in their lives. Although Harry had been with a few women, he'd never experience the mind boggling desire as he had at that moment.

A/N: That took a long time didn't it? Sorry about that. Been busy with summer school and other things. Hope this chapter will keep you sated until the next one. Hopefully it will arrive sooner that the last ones. Thank you for your kind reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

Neither knew what to expect the next day. Hermione woke up with a massive blush. She couldn't see her face, but just recalling all the activities the night before made her warm all over. She was pretty sure she was blushing all over. It didn't help that she could still the heat from his body lying next to hers and his. She could feel the weight of his arms around her middle just brushing the lower part of her breasts. Merlin! She would have never thought that what happened last night would ever happen with Harry. She felt like a new woman. She had no regrets. She hoped Harry didn't either.

Harry's mind slowly replayed everything that happened last night. He was debating on whether he should apologize for taking advantage of her in such a state or whether she wants to go another round. He wanted to feel guilty, but he felt what they did was right. It was the most natural and beautiful thing he'd ever experience in his life. He was just a little afraid that Hermione didn't feel the same way. He knew she must be sore being her first time and all. It didn't help that they'd repeated the act at least three times during the night, he'd lost count. He should feel exhausted, but there was such renewed energy from their love making, it baffled him to no ends.

He knew she was awake, but didn't want to bother her. But, Merlin, he wanted her again. He knew she could feel him. There was no way he could hide his feelings or his body's reaction for that matter. He smiled at the fact that she shifted a little when she felt him.

She tried to remain still and feign sleep, but as soon as she felt him she knew what was to come. A shiver ran through her. She shifted so that he wouldn't feel the instant reaction her body made to prepare for him as if he was able to. Merlin, she didn't think she would be able to look at Harry the same way again. Was it even legal to feel so content even when a big chunk of her memory was missing? Did she even have a right to be with Harry? She doesn't remember whether she'd made any other commitment to another man after she broke up with Ron. In her heart she knew that Harry would be the only one for her. Half of her had always known, her mind just needed to catch up with her heart. But what if she had a beau? Merlin, she hoped not. She'd never cheated on anyone in her life, not that she had a lot of relationships – Viktor, Ron. What a short list?

She knew that it was a short list because of the man lying next to her. After last night the least she could do was be honest with herself. She didn't know if she should confess her feelings with Harry, but she knew she couldn't keep thinking that Harry was just her best friend. They'd crossed the line last night. Thank Merlin! But now the problem was she didn't know how to act around him. Should she be affectionate like a girlfriend or lover, or should she go back to treating him like a friend. It didn't help that she was over thinking the situation as usual. How she wished she could just turn her mind off for a bit, just like last night when her mind was filled with sensations that she'd never experience before and Harry of course. Her wish came true when Harry started kissing her neck.

Harry couldn't help his want. He kissed her neck, then her shoulder. She started to relax and even let out a moan. It encouraged Harry to do more. Before he could place another kiss, she turned around to look at him. He smiled and kissed her lips.

They were once again lost in the moment. Their minds filled with each other. They had one goal at that time and seemed frantic and attaining the goal. When the goal was reached and both were spent once more. He lifted himself up on his elbows.

"Am I crushing you?" Hermione shook her head in response. She didn't think she had enough energy to talk just yet. "Did I hurt you?"

"Well, maybe a little, the first time." He thought it was cute when she blushed. He rolled on his back and took her with him.

"This is much better," she told him without blushing. Harry chuckled. She laid her head on his chest. She could hear his fast heartbeat. It was beating as fast as hers. Merlin he was incredible. Of course she had no one else to compare it with, but in her heart she knew that no one else would be able to make her feel the way she felt at that moment, totally cherished and loved.

"Hermione." She panicked. Please don't let him say anything near regret.

"Hmmm."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I feel great."

"I didn't mean physically. I mean are you okay……. About us?'

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"I mean our relationship. You know we'll never go back to just being best friends."

"You'll always be my best friend Harry despite our new relationship." He smiled. He felt the same. He felt the new level of their relationship enhanced his being some how. He felt content and complete in a sense.

"So, do you think anyone will object with us being together?"

"Do you mean Ron?"

"Yes. Should we tell him?"

"I think we should tell him first before he finds out from someone else don't you think?"

"You're right, but what about the current problem, Hermione. You don't remember the past year. Is there anyway we can be sure that you weren't seeing anyone?" She stiffened. She couldn't believe Harry thought the same as she. Although she shouldn't be surprised, there always had been some kind of inexplicable connection between the two of them. It drove Ron mad, but they both thought it was funny.

"Well, I guess the best thing to do is try to go about my normal routine and see if something comes up, or maybe we could invite Ginny over and see if she mentions anything. She should know if I was dating anyone. We both work at the ministry and I would have told her something. "

"Sounds good to me, but maybe we should invite the whole Weasley clan. They are a great source of information. They may shed a few answers or maybe jog a bit of your memory."

"Harry?" She went up on her elbows so that she could see his eyes.

"Yes, love." She smiled. She actually liked the sound of it coming from him.

"Do you think Ginny will be angry about us?"

"No, I doubt it. She and Neville are happily married last I heard and is expecting another set of twins in the summer. At the rate their going, they're giving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a run for their money." He kissed her forehead. He couldn't help himself.

"Well, just the same Harry. Maybe we should keep our relationship to ourselves and maybe Ron until we find out what happened to me." He was pensive for a moment.

"You're right. No one has to know about us. And I think it will be to our advantage if they think we're merely living under the same roof while the mystery is being investigated. "

Hermione's stomach started to grumble. They both laughed out loud. "Guess I'm hungrier than I thought."

"I'll cook us breakfast. Why don't you get dressed."

"I think I'll take a shower first." Images filled Harry's mind.

"Mind if we delay breakfast a bit. I feel like a shower myself." She giggled as he carried her into the shower.

It took them at least an hour to finish showering. Harry left none of Hermione's person unexplored as did Hermione. Each of them took their time despite the hunger for food. Their hunger for each other seemed greater.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Hope you like this chapter even if it's a bit short.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6**

They were surprised when the door bell rang soon after they finished showering. The bell followed a familiar voice and loud pounding on the door.

"Aren't you two bloody awake yet?" exclaimed the voice.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other like two little children whose hands were caught in a cookie jar. They started scrambling to get dressed. They'd forgotten they were magical beings and proceeded to try to dress the hard way until they conked each other on the head when they both bent down to get to their garments. They looked at each other again with foolish grins on their faces. They both realized the unnecessary panic they'd gone through. Hermione whispered a cleaning spell as Harry wrapped a towel around his waist and hurried to open the door.

"It's about bloody time," came an annoyed Ron. "What the bloody hell took you so long."

"I was in the shower, is that okay with you?" Ron's embarrassment looked comical. He whispered his apologies when he noticed Harry's state of dress, or in his case undress, as well as his wet hair. "Keep it down. Hermione is resting."

"No, Hermione is right here." She hoped the apparent blush on her cheeks did not give her away. She'd walked out of her bedroom after she'd dressed and whispered a drying spell for her hair. She was once again hit with a powerful surge of remembrance as soon as she saw Harry's half dressed body. She walked over to greet Ron while hoping her knees would not buckle and have her land flat on her face.

Upon realizing Harry's attire, Ron reprimanded him. "Harry, you can't go walking around that way." Harry almost laughed at the face Ron made and how close he was of sounding like his mother, Molly Weasley. He couldn't tell who was more embarrassed, Hermione or Ron. He excused himself to repair the situation. He smiled at the way Ron had turned from Hermione's fiancé to an overprotective brother. He couldn't be happier. He just hoped Ron will receive their newfound relationship well.

"Would you like something to drink?" Hermione asked when Harry left the room. She hoped she didn't looked to obviously guilty while Ron was around. She wasn't sure he was ready to hear about hers and Harry's relationship just yet. She knew he wouldn't understand and might be hurt if he found out that she'd always held Harry close to her heart even when she was with him. Well, he didn't have to know about that. But to have established a relationship after just a short time after Harry's return was probably going to be a blow on his ego. She couldn't do that to Ron. He was still a dear friend.

"No, no. I just came by to see if you and Harry had settled okay and of course to let you know that I'd be leaving today on a three week tour with the Cannons. I also wanted to talk to the both of you and get our stories straight should I be asked questions during the tour."

She was amazed at how mature Ron was acting. She hadn't even thought of that possibility. She was a bit busy last night, but even before last night, she wasn't thinking beyond getting home. She had a new respect for Ron at that moment.

"We're doing great." She felt herself blush and hoped that Ron didn't notice. "Although, I don't think we've had time to think about stories." She was sure her face must be crimson. Of course, only the ever oblivious Ron didn't notice. He was more concerned about the news she received yesterday regarding their none-engagement.

"Hermione, I also wanted to make sure that you were okay with, you know."

It dawned on Hermione that Ron must be interpreting her reactions to mean something else. She felt a little better. She would feel guilty if she let him continue to think otherwise. "I'm fine Ron. Like I told you before, it was probably a good thing for the both of us. I know I was probably the most difficult person on earth to get along with." Ron rolled his eyes. Hermione noticed and smiled. She knew she drove him crazy with her anal retentive behavior.

"No, not really." A white lie. There was a short uncomfortable silence between them.

Harry walked in with a straight face. He knew better than to laugh at Ron's previous statement which he over heard as he came around the corner. He remembered all of Ron's complaints when he wrote him. It irritated him when he complained about Hermione, but back then he didn't know what the root of his problem was. So he just ignored it, but he did advice Ron to talk with Hermione, which was what Hermione's main complaint about Ron was. According to Hermione, Ron did not like to talk about anything else except for quidditch. Of course, he had his moments but only after Harry would coach him.

Harry knew what Hermione liked and what she disliked – her idiosyncrasies. It amazed him that he knew so much about her yet Ron dated her and still didn't really know her as well as he did. Now, because of last night he knew her in an intimate level that no other man knew. His heart swelled. At that moment Hermione looked and their eyes met across the room. No words were needed. They already knew what the other felt even though they hadn't voiced them.

The tenderness in Harry's eyes when they met with Hermione's was all Ron needed to know for sure that Hermione would be all right. In his heart he knew that they belonged together. Even in the silence he could practically hear their heart beating for each other. He smiled. He was a little disappointed that they hadn't said anything, but then he wondered if they even knew what they felt for each other. He decided to wait until one of them brought it up. There were other things that needed to be taken care of. They're both intelligent people, he was sure they would figure out their feelings on their own.

"Ahem!" Ron cleared his throat. The two broke out of their reverie. "Sorry to break up the moment, but if you two are finished ogling at each other, can we get back to what we're supposed to be discussing?"

Harry and Hermione both turned beet red. Ron hadn't meant to say anything, but his big mouth was once again triumphant over his brain. "Ron?" Harry spoke up.

"Sorry, the way you two were looking at each other you'd think I wasn't in the room. I was…"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. She tried to sound like her practical self.

"Look. I've always known that we weren't meant for each other Hermione. And Harry, I know that you've always had a special place in your heart for Hermione." Again they both turned red. So much for trying to hide their feelings! They were in trouble now.

"Ron." Harry would be never hear the end of it from Mad-eye and Remus if they found out how he wore his heart on his sleeves so to speak. He was a trained Auror. Apparently, he wasn't too trained where Hermione was concerned.

"It's all right you know. I saw the way you looked at each other just now and believe me when I say that I don't think I'd ever looked at you that way before Hermione nor you me. You two always shared a closeness that neither of you shared with anyone else. I know that you both love me in your own way, but I think deep down we all knew that you two would end up with each other."

Harry and Hermione were speechless to say the least.

"I don't know what to say really. I mean Hermione and I wanted to wait to tell you. Under the circumstances, we don't even know if Hermione is involved with anyone. She hadn't written to me about anyone else after you and she broke it off." Ron grinned almost saying "I told you so."

"You can wipe off the grin off your face Ron. Harry and I only realized how we felt about each other last night." She blushed. She couldn't seem to get past the wonderful feelings every time she thought of what she and Harry did last night. Ron kept grinning.

"So did you two, you know."

"Ron!" She was crimson. Harry gave Ron a look that told him they'd talk about it later.

"Sorry. You both know I can't help what I say sometimes." He grinned again and all was forgiven.

"Anyway, do you know if I was seeing anyone? Maybe Ginny's told you."

"Nope. You weren't seeing anyone in particular. You dated though." Harry felt a little angry at the news. This time he masked his emotions as best he could for Hermione's sake.

"Do you know who?"

"A bloke named Christian and some other bloke named Matthew. I think you really like Matthew. You even brought him over to the Burrow once." Hermione's heart fell. How could she have dated so capriciously when she knew that she must have thought of Harry day and night?

"Hermione?" Harry went to her and held her. "It will be all right. We'll sort it all out."

"Hermione, I was just joking about the Matthew guy. Matthew is just a good friend of mine from the Cannons. He does fancy you, but you never went out with him. You turned him down when he asked you out." Hermione glared at him. "I'm just trying to lighten things up here."

"What about the other bloke?"

"Christian? Hermione did date him more than once to go to some kind of charity ball for St. Mungos and some other events. I think you two merely had an understanding that you and he would provide company for events such as the charity balls and stuff like that. I don't think you ever showed him any interest as to furthering your relationship, but I can't say the same about him. I didn't trust him much."

Harry didn't either. When Hermione turned around to face Ron, Harry put a possessive arm around her waist. He was letting her know that he was there. "Do you have a picture of him anywhere?" He whispered in her ears. Shivers shot up her spine. Merlin, she didn't know how she survived all those years without an intimate relationship with Harry.

"If you still keep your copies of the daily prophet, Hermione, you two had a picture in the front page once. Something about the both of being the toast of the ball or something like that. I only remember because mum held it up and asked me if he was your new beau."

"I'm sure I'll have a stack of the prophet lying around in the study. I'll go check." Hermione hurried out of the room. The uncomfortable feeling of discussing men in her life was just too overwhelming when the love of her life held her.

When Hermione was out of hearing distance, Ron asked Harry again if they'd consummated their relationship. Harry actually blushed.

"I don't really want to talk about that right now Ron."

"Oh, that's rich. You did. You know I should be angry, or maybe jealous because once again the Harry Potter was able to get something that I never could …"

"Shut it!"

"Hey, I was going to say I'm not." He grinned when he noticed that Harry looked calm. "I'm happy with Luna and I knew that Hermione well, let's just say we argued more that made out."

Harry laughed. It was the first time in a long time that Ron heard him laughed without restraint. It was like music to his ears. Growing up with the threat of Voldemort over him always held him back from truly enjoying life. Ron was man enough to admit that he was stupid to think that Harry was doing everything to get attention. He remembered how many times their relationship had become strained because of Harry's ready recognition and fortune. It took him a while to realize that he was far richer than Harry even with his family's lack of fortune. He had something that Harry never had and could never have again. He had his mum and dad, a family that loved him even when they annoyed him to no end.

Over the years, Ron shared his family with Harry, but it wasn't until after the battle that Harry finally understood his role within the Weasley family. They were his family just as much as Hogwarts had become his home and the people inside had become his family; well most of them anyway.

"You think that's funny do you?"

"Sorry Ron, but you and Hermione was something I never understood. I accepted it because I love you both, but I was always stuck in the middle."

"Yeah, I remember when you finally got fed up and declared yourself Switzerland."

"Yeah, well you two were a piece of work together. I'm just surprised you lasted as long as you both did."

"I think we were just both stubborn and didn't want to become failures in our relationship. You know how Hermione is when there is a challenge ahead of her. I think maybe she thought of me as a challenge." Ron smiled to soften what could be a criticism on Hermione. Harry had always been so protective of her, now he knew why. He didn't think he would have been able to handle seeing the woman he loved with someone else. He had new admiration for Harry. Then again, he wondered if Harry knew how he felt about Hermione until recently.

"You were a challenge, Ron" Hermione called out from the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long Harry. Is there anything I should know?" Of course she heard most of what they were talking about. She became curious when she heard Harry's laugh all the way from the study.

"Not really. Ron just trying to pry more information about us." Hermione sent Ron what she thought was a reprimanding look. It always scared Ron when she looked at him with the McGonagall look of disapproval. She did so now and as if like clockwork, Ron cowered to silence.

"He didn't tell me anything, honest."

"Never mind that. I found the picture."

Hermione noticed Harry stiffened at the picture. It showed Hermione laughing at something Christian whispered in her ear while his hand on her waist settled with familiarity that intimacy created. She didn't remember what it was at that moment, nor did she remember the face that appeared next to hers in a most intimate fashion. The headline read "A new man for Granger" by Rita Skeeter. She never did learn, she thought. Hermione was a bit giddy from Harry's reaction and a bit concerned. It touched her that he was a bit jealous, but she was worried on how close she actually was with the man in the picture.

Harry wasn't a bit jealous at all. Harry never hated anyone in his life other than Voldemort until then. He had never had a problem with Hermione dating, not even with Ron. Somehow, everything changed. He felt more possessive that ever. He'd never thought himself a jealous person and it was humbling to find out that he was, even embarrassing.

A/N: Thanks for your reviews. I must apologize once again for the length of time it's taken to put up another chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7**

They should have asked Ron to stay an extra day so that he could help them out with the rest of the Weasleys. Harry knew it was going to be a long night. They should have put off the invitation for dinner at the burrow, but he knew that the Weasleys were family and could not be put off any longer. The three days they'd waited after Hermione was found was already enough and he knew that they would figure out a way to have their visit. Ron had brought them home the news of her safety, but they'd all insisted that they needed to see for themselves. They'd probably never seen Ron and his scary side until that moment.

He was a sight to behold. Mrs. Weasley recounted the day where she found new respect for her youngest son. They were all talking at the same time trying to get Ron's permission for them to visit Hermione at her flat after she was let go. He'd explained that no one except Harry, Hermione and he were allowed near the flat unless they were invited by either one of them. So they hounded him almost hourly except when he was practicing quidditch.

It was true enough that no one could get there without permission, but Harry had set up security in a way that Weasley blood relatives would be allowed as well as the Grangers. He didn't tell them that part. He just made it sound as if no one could get through the security, period. So Ron reached his limit after a day of unending questions.

"Listen, you lot! Hermione can't have too much visitors! She's been hurt and the healers said she needs rest. How the bloody hell is she going to rest with the lot of you badgering her all the time! If you don't stop asking me questions, I'll curse the lot of you to Hades and back if I have to, but she NEEDS REST!"

The rest of the Weasley clan stood open mouthed. They were used to Ron's whining, but they'd never seen him stand his ground on anything before. He was usually easily swayed to agree to something with enough badgering. Needless to say they never bothered him again about visiting Hermione after that.

So they tried Harry. They sent him owl after owl. They learned how well the auror training paid off when nothing worked to persuade him. So they gave up on him. They finally figured out the only way they would actually visit Hermione was to ask Hermione herself. That worked. Although she had been a bit frightened, she didn't like being rude.

Still, Harry thought she could have been rude for at least once in her life. He didn't like to see her so agitated among other things. He wanted to keep her all to himself for as long as he could, but he also knew that in order to catch the culprit, they needed to expose Hermione to people. Merlin, couldn't he stop wanting her every time he saw her. She'd become as essential as oxygen to him.

He knew he had to get a hold of his emotions for Hermione. He needed to clear his head in order to help her find out what happened to her and who was responsible. He knew how her mind worked. It would eat at her that she can't readily find the solution.

"So, Hermione, are you feeling better dear?" asked Molly.

"Much better, thank you Mrs. Weasley." She smiled weakly and hoped she didn't ask questions that she expected to know the answer to, particularly the last year.

"That's great, dear. We were all worried about you, you know. And Ron, well, he told us that you couldn't have visitors. I'm so glad you're here." She pulled Hermione into another bone crushing hug.

Molly had hoped that Hermione would one day become her daughter-in-law, but she knew before Ron, Hermione and Harry did that it wasn't meant to be. She'd watched them closely when they were growing up and had seen the ever growing closeness between Harry and Hermione. Of course, the closeness wasn't physical that others might see as well, but she saw their heart grew closer. She was able to tell by the way they talked about each other, certain body language when they were near each other and the aura they emitted when they were together. Just like James and Lily. She knew she shouldn't compare, but she had seen it in Harry's parents and although Harry and Hermione's relationship was slightly different because it started out with friendship, she knew that their souls were intertwined just as fate had written when they were born.

Not really a fan of divination, but she never discounted the essence of fate. If it wasn't for fate, she'd never have found Arthur. If it wasn't for fate she wouldn't have lovely, intelligent children. She knew that fate had a hand in Harry and Hermione's joining.

"Mum, you're crushing her!" Ginny exclaimed. "Besides, it's my turn to give her a hug."

"Ginny, I'm so glad to see you."

"Believe me, not as happy as I am. I've been dying to tell you some news." She looked around to make sure no one was nearby to hear them. "Christian has been asking for you. Can you believe it? I think he's definitely taken with you Hermione."

"Really? But I thought we'd agreed we were just going to be friends?"

"I don't know about you, but he doesn't seem to think you're only friends. He said he even tried to apparate to you flat, but got kicked out. So I explained to him about the security measures Harry and Ron had taken in order for you to get some rest. He looked terribly disappointed. He told me that surely you should have extended him an invitation to visit by now. That sounds to me that you're more than friends."

Hermione's heart sank with the news. She was sure that he was nothing more than a friend. She would know, shouldn't she? Merlin, what a mess! Hermione scowled and chanced a look at Harry. They made eye contact and she forced a smile, but it was too late. Harry already saw the scowl.

Ginny didn't miss anything. She saw the quick exchange between the two. The worried look that Harry now held practically mirrored the one on Hermione's face. She knew then that Christian didn't have a chance.

"Hermione?" I don't mean to pry, but I'm going to. Are you and Harry, you know?"

"Still friends? Yes."

"Hermione, you know what I mean!" Ginny looked hurt. Hermione knew that they'd become good friends even after Ginny had accused her of messing up hers and Harry's relationship after their sixth year.

"If you promise me that you won't tell, then I will let you in on a little secret."

"I promise on Dumbledore's soul." That had become one of their favorite expressions of loyalty in memory of their beloved Headmaster.

"Okay, well, Harry and I… Harry and I have come to an understanding about our relationship."

"Hermione, I can't believe you're going to talk to me in that practical voice of explanation you use when you're presenting your findings. I'm one of your closest friends, remember? I'm not going to be mad if that's what you're worried about. I'm way over Harry and very happily married to my soul mate. Are you going to tell me?"

"Okay, but you have to promise you won't tell anyone, not yet anyway."

"I promise!"

"Harry and I are dating, so to speak since we haven't really gone out on an official date." Ginny squealed and all heads turned toward them. So much for trying not to get attention, Hermione thought. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulder to indicate she didn't really understand why Ginny squealed.

"Sorry…" Ginny sputtered. "I thought I saw a spider." Her brothers snorted. They knew Ron wasn't the only one afraid of spiders. That was why they loved teasing Ginny and Ron with spiders when they were younger.

But Harry looked at Hermione intently, and then raised a brow in question. Hermione mouthed, "I'll tell you later" and tried to get back into conversation with Ginny. Too late, their private conversation was joined by Molly.

"You know dear, if you and Harry won't stop looking at each other the way you're looking at each other, everyone will guess how close you really are." Hermione turned crimson. She must match the colors of Gryffindor, she thought. Ginny was also shocked. Her mouth was still hanging open.

"Mrs. Weasley.."

"Close your mouth Ginny. I may be old, but I'm not blind you know."

"Er.."

"No need to explain anything Hermione. I knew you'd find out sooner or later how you felt about each other. I say it's about bloody time. Excuse my language my dear. You and Ron were really not suited for each other. I was surprised you even started dating."

"Mum, how could you know? And what about when Harry dated me?"

"He was probably overwhelmed with the strong crush you had on him. It had to happen you know. You had to find out for yourselves that you weren't meant to be, just like Ron and Hermione. But don't tell your brother that. He still thinks I haven't gotten over the prospect of having Hermione as my daughter-in-law." She chuckled as the two young women looked on her with admiration. "It's not a total loss really. Hermione and Harry will get married and I will still have her as a daughter-in-law."

"Mrs. Weasley, Harry and I…"

"You young people think you can hide things from us, but we know a thing or two yet. I know he'll ask you. And since he is like my son, you will be my daughter-in-law." Her eye misted and she wiped the corners of it with her apron. "Oh, dear, I'd better see if what the little twins are up to." She ran to make sure she still had a parlor. Percy's and Penelope's twins give Fred and George a run for their money. It was a wonder that two such conservative and rule following people could give birth to two little hooligans, Mrs. Weasley thought. How she loved her grandchildren.

"Do you think your mum heard us talking?"

"No. I think she's just more observant than me. She's right you know. Now that I look at you and then look at Harry, you both wear your emotions on your sleeves right now. It's a wonder the burrow hadn't caught fire yet with the heat you two are giving off."

"Ginny!"

"Well, it's true. Poor Christian will have to find someone else. I don't think anything will keep you and Harry apart now that you're together."

I hope not, Hermione told herself. She was worried that what she didn't know about her and Christian's relationship may end up tearing them apart. She saw Harry moving towards them.

"Hey, you two? You two must be having some intense conversation, eh?" He moved to put his arm around Hermione's waist and then stopped and looked at Ginny.

"She knows. That's why she squealed a moment ago."

"All right then. What else should I know?"

"Mum knows too!" Ginny blurted out. Harry looked down at Hermione.

"Don't look at me. She guessed."

"Mum said something about the way you two were looking at each other; it was obvious that you were shagging each other."

"Ginny!" Hermione reprimanded. "She didn't say that." Harry smiled. Ginny was never one to mince words.

"It's just as well. Maybe we should just let everyone know. It might help us. What were you two talking about anyway, besides our sex life?" Hermione blushed when Harry took her hand and brought it up to his lips.

Ginny sighed for Hermione. A romantic at heart, she couldn't miss the meaning of the gesture. He was letting Hermione know how much he'd missed her already. Of course Fred and George happened to be passing by when Harry did that.

"Oy, George. Did you see that?" Fred asked not very quietly which earned them a huge audience, all which is what he intended all along. "Harry kissed Hermione's hand. Could it mean?"

"Unfortunately, it would mean that Fred."

"What are you two talking about?" Bill asked.

"Harry and Hermione are a couple, what else?" All eyes shifted at the two of them hands still joined. The din came at once. Men thumped Harry on the back, with comments like ''bout time mate', or 'knew it all along." The women hugged Hermione and told her almost the same things but in a more quiet and easy manner. It was as if they'd just gotten married and they were receiving congratulatory hugs and shakes.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Again I apologize for the length of time in between chapters. School, work and everything else tend to take priority.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8**

Harry and Hermione were exhausted after the trip to the burrow. The nice thing that did come out was that their relationship was readily accepted by their family and friends. As they sat on the couch talking about the last few hours they'd spent at the burrow, they realized they probably sped up the process of trying to find Hermione's assailants.

"You know if someone did try to hurt you for selfish reasons, having the status of our relationship would basically was a slap in the face for him."

"If it is a him." Hermione added.

"You're right. I shouldn't be narrow-minded at this point. It may be for a different reason all together other than some guy wanting you all to himself." He smiled to let her know he was joking.

"I think you're the only one who's willing to put up with me."

"You're right, as usual." He smirked when she playfully slapped his arm. He turned her to face him and became serious. "So, will you marry me?"

Hermione immediately became teary eyed. She was surprised that he'd asked. She was hopeful that he would ask, but she didn't think he would ask so soon especially with everything else going on around them.

"Harry.." Her voice hitched. He took something out of his pocked and held it out in front of him. The ring was a simple platinum band with a simple square cut emerald.

"It was my mother's. I'd like you to wear it. That is if you say yes."

Hermione was speechless. Her throat dried up like the Sahara, but her eyes filled up like the sea. She couldn't see Harry beyond her tears.

"Hermione?" She nodded vigorously then her tears fell incessantly. Harry took her right hand and slipped the ring on her finger. Harry gathered her in his arms and whispered "Thank you."

Hermione let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She'd never felt such joy in her heart until that moment. She didn't think it existed. She'd heard people talking about it, but her practical side just couldn't see the logic in being incandescently happy. She thought it only happened in the books, in fairy tales, but not in real life. She couldn't stop all the tears from flowing.

"I hope those are tears of joy," he joked.

Hermione chuckled through her tears, but all she could was nod.

"Have I done the impossible then and rendered the Hermione Jane Granger speechless!" Harry felt uncomfortable with all the tears. He knew she was crying because she was happy, but he'd rather see her smiling and laughing instead of crying. The comment did earn him a slight slap on the head.

"Shut up, Harry!"

"That's more like it. That's the Hermione Granger soon to be Potter I know."

"I can't help it Harry. I think I've been waiting my whole life for this moment."

"I love you Hermione. I don't ever want to see you hurt or sad."

"Oh, Harry. I love you so much. I don't think I could have ever married anyone else if you hadn't asked me."

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Just hold me."

The man looked into the mirror and turned away. The reflection seemed to mock him to no ends. He had her and lost her, but he would get her back. His master did not tolerate incompetence and knew that he was relying on him to get the task done. It was simple enough. Take her and hold her until he returned. Who'd have known that the bitch would escape him?

It wasn't his fault really. He looked at the mirror again and his reflection looked back and called him a liar. It wasn't my fault, he screamed out loud. It was the people he hired to help that caused the problem. They should not have been drinking fire whiskey while they were standing guard. He warned them that she was clever, but did they listen. Of course not! Those fools looked at her and thought their strength would outweigh her cleverness.

No matter, he had a few more days until his master returned. If he wanted the job done right, he'd have to do it himself. He was done with hiring goons. Of course they were easier to rid off, but he was merely doing the world a favor by killing them anyway. Next time she wouldn't get away. He had a much better plan in mind.

A few days after the celebration at the Weasleys, Ginny popped in front Hermione's door. She had the biggest smile in the world and looked like a boiling pot of water that would soon bubble over. When Harry opened the door for her, he knew why she was there. He also knew that the others would follow. It was the girls' night out. Hermione received the notice following the party and tried to beg off, but they wouldn't let her. So they compromised and decided to have it at Hermione's flat with one condition; Harry would have to leave.

Harry and Hermione didn't like that one bit, so they opted for letting Harry spend the night under his invisibility cloak. He didn't know if he could pull it off.

"Hermione, it gets hot under the cloak. How do you expect me to stay inside the whole night? And what am I to do when I get hungry?"

"Really Harry," she scolded in her condescending tone. "You're a wizard Harry, remember? You can conjure your food when you want can't you?"

She got him there. He was just giving her a hard time because he wanted to spend more time alone with her. The past few days had been magical for the both of them. He knew that it would have to end when they had to go back to work. Still he needed to solve the problem of who wanted to hurt her. They weren't any closer to the answer since the beginning. He'd ask his Lupin and Mad Eye for help, but so far they'd come up empty handed. Whoever they were looking for covered his tracks well. They'd found two men found dead near the vicinity in which Hermione was found. They were just hired men who would do anyone's bidding for a price. It didn't help their case in anyway. Dead men don't talk.

"Well, I'm sure one of them will probably hear me."

She tsked at him. "You can put the silencing charm over the cloak Harry"

"Now why didn't I think of that?" That would have come in handy while he was in school and tried to find a place to snog besides the broom closet he added to himself.

"I know Harry. It would have come in handy back at Hogwarts had you known. But your hormones took over your brain at that age."

Damn, how did she know what he was thinking? He just gave her his lop sided grin of his and pulled her in his arms for a long snog. The discussion ended and the decision made. He would pretend to leave and go back in with his invisibility cloak.

"Oh, hey Ginny. I was just on my way out." He kissed her on the cheek. "You ladies have fun tonight.

"We will Harry. And don't worry. We'll take great care of Hermione."

Just as he was about to disapparate, he heard a few more pops. He decided it was a great time to disapparate to get the cloak and quickly apparate back in and enter with the others while the flurry of guests came in. It worked perfectly. He was back inside the flat undetected.

He rolled his eyes heavenward when he found a corner to settle himself in. The endless chatter from all directions was enough to make a man wish he were deaf. It was like being back in school and in the Griffyndor common room. He scanned the room.

On the couch sat Ginny, Mrs. Granger and Hermione. Hermione and Harry decided to let Ginny in on the memory problem because they thought she would be able to enlighten them on a few things that Ron may not have known. They gave her the summary yesterday and she felt thrilled to be in their confidence.

She'd always longed to be included in the trio's world, and they did include her for the most part, but still there were some things that they kept from her. She resented that fact when she was younger, but as she grew older, she realized that there existed a bond within the trio that even the three of them could not share with each other.

After being with Harry for a short time, she knew that their bond was weak compared to the one he shared with Hermione. Even when Hermione agreed to marry Ron, she knew that the engagement wouldn't last long. It wasn't because of her brother or Hermione, but it was because of Harry. Even if Harry had not recognized the way he felt for Hermione, Ginny could tell that Harry loved her far more beyond friendship that they both realized or were willing to admit at that time.

The fact that Harry did little to fight for Hermione back then was proof to her that he loved her deeply enough to want to see her happy. So he let her go. And maybe they needed that time apart to figure out what they really meant to each other because seeing them together during the party and while they explained to her about Hermione's memory; she could tell that the affections she saw before were not half as strong as the ones she was seeing now. She doubted that she and Dean even compared to them in that aspect. She knew they loved each other dearly, but she thought that Hermione and Harry just brought the definition to another level. She would do anything to help keep them together as their friend, sister and admirer.

Ginny and Mrs. Granger explained what would take place. Ginny already gave her some highlights, but things tend to vary depending on who attended. They planned to use prompts to let Hermione know how to answer when needed.

Harry was satisfied that Mrs. Granger and Ginny have everything under control with Hermione so far. He turned his attention to the far end of the room. Someone conjured a small table with three chairs. There sat Fleur, Angelina and Susan Bones. Angelina was talking animatedly about the new inventions the twins had at their store.

"I swear I could have killed those two when they'd slipped one of their concoctions in my pumpkin juice. I walked like a bloody duck for two days."

Susan kept smiling and Fleur laughed out loud. It was funny and Harry wondered why Susan merely smiled. In truth she'd had that same smile plastered on her face since the moment she walked in the door. He made a mental note to keep on eye on her. He didn't think Susan was a threat, but he should check her out anyway just to cross her out of the suspect list.

He moved his eyes to the left side of the room and found Mandy Blockerhurst, Mrs. Weasley, Luna and a girl who was introduced to them as Sara. She was Mandy's cousin on the mother's side. She was there in the hopes of landing a position in the Ministry with Mandy as a reference since she just graduated from a school in the southern part of Europe. Harry made a mental note to check on her as well. Nothing and no one else seems to look out of the ordinary.

"Ok ladies, why don't we all gather around the coffee table," Fleur announced with her slight French accent. She'd been practicing ever since she and Bill were married and only reverted to the strong accent when she was really angry.

They all moved to the place near the fire place. Hermione had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't in the explanation she was given.

"Susan had a wonderful idea and since this is her first time with us, I think we should try it. First we want to say welcome to Susan and Sara as well. They're newcomers to our little get together and Victoria, Gabriel, and the Patils send their regard. Anyway, since this is your game Susan, why don't you explain what it is we should do."

With the smile still on her face she turned to her audience and started to explain. "Since some of us may not know each other well, we should try a little ice breaker. On a piece of paper, we write down something that no one in this room knows about us. We'll put it in a hat. Of course the hat will be enchanted to display what we write and keep track on who wrote it. The hat will also know if what you wrote is a lie, so no lying. It is almost like the Goblet of Fire, but not as elaborate or dangerous. If you do put something of a falsehood, the hat will think of just punishment. Nothing deadly or elaborate, but everyone in the room will know that you lied. The hat will display what was written and we write down our best guest on who we think the person is. In the end we'll know a little more about each other and who ever has the most guess can have the privilege of choosing the next game."

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other as if they'd read each other's minds. They knew it was too good to be true. They knew that with two new people, there would be a change in the agenda. It was going to be a long night.

In his corner of the room, Harry sighed. He hoped to Merlin Hermione will think of something else no one else in the room including him does not know. Even if he was invisible under the cloak, the enchanted hat would know if he knew anything that was written and placed in the hat.

A/N: It's been awhile. I hope this chapter kept you entertained. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Let the games begin.

As always, thank you for your reviews. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9**

Hermione was having a hard time with what she had to write down. He could see her biting her lip which meant that she was having a really difficult time trying to come up with something that he would not know anything about. He had to smile because he knew that Hermione practically told him everything that went on in her life, well almost everything. She failed to tell him about her feelings for him.

He wondered if there were things he didn't know about; Things that she didn't know about because of her amnesia. At that point, however, he didn't care about what it was he still didn't know about her. He just hoped she would come up with something.

Hermione wrote on her piece of parchment and placed in into the hat. She let out a sigh of relief when the hat accepted her written words. She knew that Harry did not know yet what she wrote on the paper, but she couldn't help herself. She wasn't sure herself yet about what she wrote. She was betting on the hat to know the truth.

"Okay, has everyone put in a piece of parchment?" Fleur announced in her French accented voice.

When everyone nodded, she continued. "Okay, now. Everyone take a piece of parchment and number them as we go along. When the hat reveals the secret, write down who you think the secret belongs to. When the hat spits out a parchment, I will number them in the back so that in the end we will read them once again and have the owner of the secret step up when their secret is revealed. Ready?" Everyone nodded once again and she continued with the spell to let the hat begin revealing the secret.

One by one the hat revealed the secrets and one by one the ladies wrote down who they thought the secret belonged to. The room was quiet except for the hat who announced the written words on each parchment. Each woman wrote diligently on their parchment even though each time a secret was revealed they wanted to shout out who they thought the secret belonged.

Harry watched them bubbling over with excitement. He was awed at the amount of restraint each woman had. He knew from experience, Ginny and Hermione mostly, that women could hardly contain themselves when it came to sharing some type of news hoping that she was the first to break the news to people. Well, then again, it was mostly Ginny who was that way. Maybe Fleur and Lavender, but now that he thought about it, Hermione was different. She never once just burst out about anything that was potential news to anyone. She'd kept a lot of his secrets and he had a lot of those when they were growing up. And despite those secrets, she still loved him. His heart swelled with the thought.

After the hat wound down to the last few parchments, just as the Goblet of Fire in their fourth year, the hat started to spark and to make it known that there was another parchment yet to be read. The one that came next gave everyone in the room pause.

"My secret desire is to kill Harry Potter," the hat called out. The collective gasp filled the room. Each pair of eyes looked at the other with the obvious question running through their mind. "Did she write it?"

Harry wasn't doing too well under the invisible cloak. He wanted to reveal himself and confront whomever the person was that wrote the vile note, but he knew revealing his presence at that time would not only ruin whatever trust the people had with Hermione, but might put everyone else in danger. He looked carefully at each of the faces and saw no apparent clue as to who wrote the message. The person was either quite skilled at hiding their feelings or maybe something else was at play in the room.

He put his Auror skill at work and practiced Legilimency at all the people present. After the last person in the room had been scanned, Harry was no closer in finding out the culprit. He did notice that there were minds that seemed to be hiding something or was practicing occlumency. Whoever that was must be truly skilled because he'd proven himself a master of legilimency since seventh year without Snape's help. It helped him when he confronted Voldermort for the last time. Although Voldemort's skill in occlumency was as great as his skill in legilimency, Harry seemed to be able to get through his defenses without a problem. To this day he still marveled at how he was able to do it, but knew that somehow their connection had to do with the scar that still appeared faintly on his forehead.

There wasn't any doubt in his mind that he could feel the block, but he just couldn't pin point the person who emanated the powers so expertly. He felt defeated, but with occlumency he knew that he couldn't do well to open the barriers of legilimency when he wasn't looking into a person's eyes. That was one of his skills still under training. No one else in the Auror division had ever successfully achieved that level of intricacy with occlumency and legilimency, not even Voldermort, but everyone seemed to be confident that Harry could.

At that moment he wished he'd practiced more. He cursed himself. He knew now that what happened to Hermione was because of him. Someone was using Hermione to get to him and she is in more danger now that he was living in her flat. He should have known better.

He saw that Molly was ushering everyone out of the door that wasn't part of the family. She was still part of the Order after all. Even though the threat of Voldemort no longer existed, the Order lived on with Harry as their leader. He wanted to decline the offer, but everyone threatened to disband the group if he would not take over Dumbledore's former role. He had no choice. He knew that evil wizards still existed and if he wanted a better future, he had to agree.

"Everyone, out!" Molly demanded vehemently. She'd been Hermione's second mother for as long as Ron and she had been friends especially because her muggle parents couldn't enter the Wizarding world and were powerless to defend her from wizards. She put a protective hand around Hermione who was at the moment being held by her mother.

Ginny, Angelina and Fleur followed suit and formed a protective circle around her. Part of it was instinct to protect one of their own, and part of it because they also knew their duties as part of the Order. They've always known that Ron and Hermione were always in danger because of their close affiliation with Harry. With their wands drawn, they made sure everyone left, but with thinking placed one of Fred's and George's latest invention on each guest. The latest invention was that of a tracker that is undetectable by magic – well by any spells like a foe finder or any spell of that nature. Since it was still in its beta testing stages, they were unsure that it would work properly, but what better way to test it than to use it.

Fred and George had expanded their joke shops and created an exclusive department – secret department – where they invent "spy" magical gadgets for the Department of Mysteries and for the Order. That was why the tracker had been invented in conjunction to what is similar to the map that James, Sirius, Peter and Lupin created for Hogwarts, there was a world map that worked with what they refer to as the tracker since it has not yet been properly named. That part of their business was not as busy as the joke shop, but certainly more challenging. Again they had Harry to thank for the opportunity since he'd asked them to make him gadgets for the final showdown with Voldermort.

After all have gone except for Mrs. Granger, Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Angelina and Fleur, Hermione sank in the sofa. Mrs. Granger gathered her in her arms while Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Fleur secured the area looking for anything amiss. They've learned many tricks of uncovering those who hid in the shadows or under invisibility cloak. It was actually Harry who'd taught them about uncovering anyone under an invisibility cloak. It was just too bad they didn't think of it at the beginning of the party.

"Well, if anyone was here other than those who were invited, they're long gone," Mrs. Weasley said.

"We should have interrogated those who were here first before we let them out of the door. Someone could have walked out of the door without us knowing about it," Ginny told them.

"No sweetheart, I don't think Hermione is up for interrogations," Molly said.

"We could have tried the veritaserum," Fleur added.

"Yes, we could have. But what would have that done to your friendship with those women. I think we can thank Merlin nothing else happened to anyone of us," Fleur said.

"All right there, Hermione?" Ginny asked. Hermione merely nodded and stayed still in her mum's arms. She noticed how pale she looked. She also looked very vulnerable. Not at all like the Hermione had she known before the accident.

"We'd better stay here until Harry gets home," Angelina chimed in.

"What time is he supposed to get back anyway?" Fleur asked.

"I forgot what we told him. Maybe we can just send word with Hedwig. I'm sure he'll want a full report of what had happened."

A knock came at the door. Ginny pointed her wand, and then asked who it was.

"Harry."

"How do I know you're who you say you are?"

"Dammit, Ginny! If you don't open this door, I'm going to tell your mum about that time in sixth year….."

That got her moving. She knew that only Harry knew about the time she'd snuck out of her dorm to meet Dean. He knew because he'd caught them in the broom closet. He promised not to tell anyone, especially her mother. She didn't want a howler like the one Ron received in his second year after they crashed the flying car.

When he saw Hermione still pale as when she was when he left, he was concerned. It wasn't like Hermione to be so complacent when threatened. Even in second year, he remembered her sticking up for him against Lucius Malfoy. It was as if part of her spirit had been sucked out of her.

When she saw him, her color returned. The others discreetly moved out of the way without questioning how Harry knew of that something happened during the party. Hermione finally let go of her mum and went to Harry's arms.

"You're okay," she whispered.

"Of course, I'm okay. I was never far, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten. When I heard what was written in the parchment, I just lost my head. I was so worried about you."

"You don't need to be, love. I can take care of myself. It's you I'm worried about."

"Harry, if you're ready for the report, we're ready to give it to you." Molly told him.

Mrs. Granger who only found out about Harry and Hermione let her tears fall freely. She'd never understood why Hermione had chosen Ron, not that Ron was a bad bloke, but she knew her daughter well. She heard the way she talked about Harry or when her eyes lit up when his name would come up. She didn't want to interfere with her adult daughter's life, but she'd bring up Harry as many times as she could to gauge her daughter's reactions and never had she seen them change throughout the years. She felt relieved now that they were finally together, but at the same time frightened because being with Harry seemed to bring unforeseen danger in Hermione's life.

"Let me take Hermione to her room and let her rest. I think she's been through enough excitement for tonight."

"No, Harry. I want to hear the report and I have something to tell all of you as well. But first, someone should take mum home."

"Hermione, I'll be fine."

"No, you'll be much safer if you didn't know too much about what we have to discuss." She looked at her mum with the pleading eyes she'd used often when she was a child. Mrs. Granger was a bit surprised to see it now with her grown child, but she knew that Hermione would not have pleaded with her if she didn't think it was important.

"All right, but you should come by soon. Your father wants to see you. I'll try not to mention what happened tonight. I will wait for you to tell him yourself. But you know he'll know something went wrong when he sees me." She smiled at her daughter.

Mrs. Granger who'd learned to floo to and from Hermione's flat was now and expert, but still preferred to drive her car. She said it helped her relax. But with Harry's insistence, she flooed home after he set up security measures between the two fireplaces. It was the only one of the fireplaces they connected to their own private floo network – the others were Grimmauld Place, Godric's Hollow and the Burrow.

"First, I want to explain why I was practically paralyzed when the parchment was revealed. I heard a voice talking to me. It was a voice I'd heard before, but I can't seem to place it. The voice felt as if it was whispering in my left ear. Not like a voice one would hear in the head, but like someone standing next to you and whispering."

Harry cursed. He was so worried about being discovered, that he'd forgotten someone could just as well have walked in under an invisibility cloak.

"Bastard! He was here!"

"Harry, dear. You couldn't have known. We should have known better."

"No. This is because of me. I'll take the blame. We should have told you about truth about Hermione's condition."

"What's wrong with Hermione?" Ginny struggled with the hurt and the concern.

"You have to understand. It wasn't the lack of trust that we didn't tell any of you. We thought the less people knew, the better our chances of catching whoever it was that kidnapped Hermione in the first place." He looked around at his adopted family. He knew that he'd hurt them terribly. But he also didn't want them in any danger. "At first we thought it was because of the work that Hermione did for the Ministry, but I guess after tonight, it is more personal. But before you ask me anything, you first have to know that Hermione has a form of amnesia that is rare and none of the healers have been able to successfully create a potion or a spell to reverse the effects of the curse that brought it on. She doesn't remember what happened from the moment she was abducted to about a year ago. Before then she remembers everything clearly."

A unified gasp was heard in the silence. Harry continued. "Look. We didn't tell a lot of people because well, for one thing, Hermione doesn't like being looked upon with pitying glances. Second, we didn't want too many people to know because we didn't want to put anyone else in danger." When he saw Ginny and Mrs. Weasley roll their eyes heavenward, he smiled. "Okay, we were wrong, but the third reason was because the healer told us that if her memory could be altered as soon as someone change an event in the past. What I mean is that, if someone tells her about something that happened from their point of view, it would alter Hermione's perception and will not bring her closer to bring her memory back. The more her memory is altered, the further away she'll be in regaining her memory. The best advice was to let her remember on her own as a natural progression."

"But, Harry dear, we're family. We'd have protected her better if we knew and we wouldn't have insisted on having this bloody girls' night out. We thought we were going to lighten things up a bit, but had we known, we would have pushed it back or just had family members."

"Sorry, Aunt Molly. We were trying to make her environment as normal as possible to help her memories progress faster." After so many years it was still weird for Harry call her Aunt. "It was the wrong decision on my part."

"Harry, dear, I know how much you feel you have the need to try to protect us all, but you have to remember that even the great Harry Potter needs help now and again," she said with a smile. They like to point out the great Harry Potter bit when he tries to do too much. She knew that he'd had no one to depend on when he was growing up. Even when he befriended Ron and Hermione, there were still times when he felt the weight of the world on his shoulder and he carried it alone. He blushed at being reminded of his own limitations.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"That's not important now. What's important is that we know and we will more vigilant when it comes to Hermione's and your safety." She saw him open his mouth, but beat him to his response. "Okay, Hermione's safety. She's more vulnerable than you. Although, I think she still remembers a lot about kicking a bad wizard on his arse."

Everyone chuckled at Molly's last word. They all knew she was trying to lighten things up.

"First things first, we need to call the Order for a brief meeting." Harry pointed out. "However, not everyone will be invited. Only those who are family members and close friends will be in the loop with everything. Everyone else will only be briefed on a need to know basis. The core will be summoned tonight. We'll meet at the usual place tomorrow evening. Right now, I think we all need to go home and get some rest. You too, Aunt Molly."

He knew how she liked to hover when she was concerned. Even when all her children were all grown with their own families, she still grew anxious at every little sign of danger. She sighed in resignation and apparated home. The others followed.

"Okay, now that the others are gone. I need you to go over everything you remember tonight. I know I was here with you, but I have to admit, my guard was a bit relaxed because I could not sense anything amiss from the guests. It didn't occur to me that there may have well been someone under a cloak just like me."

"Harry, I left out the part about being immobilized when the person spoke to me. It was as if I the binding spell was used on me. It didn't go away until the guests left."

"Which means either one of the guests was the culprit or an instrument to bring the doer near you."

"I hope not Harry. All of the girls are my friends. I didn't feel any threat from any of them."

"I know, love. But we both know how powerful dark magic can be."

They both knew what the other meant. They were all almost killed because Ginny was under a stronger spell than what she'd undergone in her first year of Hogwarts. The dark lord had her under a very powerful Imperius curse. Had she not been loved by her family she would have been killed. Luckily for all of them that Harry was able to destroy the last remaining horcrux that ended the spell. They only hoped that the opponent will be discovered soon.

A/N: Sorry for the long gap between the chapters. I was taking classes and going to work full time, hence time was not a luxury I had. Now that it's summer, I may be inclined to go a little faster if the writer's block would just go away! Wish me luck. As always, thanks for your continued support and review.


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